So our "friend" G is introducing Google Wave sometime "later this year". Interesting video on their official page here (1 hour and 20 minutes is a bit long for a preview ... but I'll deal with it- barely). There is a briefer product overview here.

They're calling it a "communications and collaboration" product. It's very unclear to me all what it can do and probably won't until it comes out, however, there is a good amount of excitement (and funding) around this product. There is discussion on the still active Official Google Notebook blog as to whether Wave will be a/the replacement to Notebook. Overall, no consensus is appearing about Wave.

But the OVERIDING consensus is and remains:

We want Notebook to continue being developed ... not Docs, Wave, etc.

We want the Notebook extensions

If 1 and 2 are not possible ... we want the code or open source Notebook

Google has significantly injured their reputation and trust amongst it's most loyal users

Google has completely ignored our pleas

Google ??? Any response? Do you really even care about us anymore? Where is the love?

I think I now know what it feels like to be a scorned lover that is slowly becoming a creepy stalker? Weird huh?

Some time has passed. Google Wave came and went. It was a great concept, but unfortunately I believe ahead of its time. Enough people aren't as forward-thinking as the developers at Google. I liked the comment above about how Wave would make Gmail, Docs, and Notebook obsolete... it did, but there wasn't much buy in, and it wasn't fully integrated with these existing apps. But don't lose hope, Google's sunset announcement for Wave sounds like they still have plans for it, or something similar, which will hopefully eliminate these shortfalls. See the notice here:http://www.google.com/support/wave/bin/answer.py?answer=1083134